'Are calamities connected to Arroyo govt's sins?'

By Aries Rufo/abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak

MANILA - Are the successive natural calamities affecting the country somewhat related to the "sins" of the Arroyo government?

Jaro Archbishop and outgoing president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Angel Lagdameo suggested the connection, in a statement Friday entitled “Year 2009 Typhoons, Are they God’s hints” and published in the CBCP website.

“We are challenged to open our hearts to God’s warning signs. Should we not at least ask ourselves if all the corruption and lies, the loss of integrity and the mounting 'destruction of morality and moral values' in the present government and the present calamities: is there a connection? Is God not giving us 'hints' regarding the future and even the coming elections?” Lagdameo said.

A staff close to Lagdameo said the prelate wondered whether the calamities were intended to open the eyes of Filipinos to corruption in government. “Where are the billions of calamity funds, where did our taxes go?” Lagdameo asked, while visiting a Church relief center.

Lagdameo, a critic of the Arroyo administration, said the natural calamities befalling the country should not be viewed as God’s punishment but as a consequence of allowing “moral evil” to persist.

“In the destruction wrought by typhoons, we must see not so much God 'lifting His hand to punish' but moral evil having its 'trail of harm and ruin' because we have destroyed God’s world,” he said.

Corrupting prelates

Arroyo’s presidency has been rocked by controversies one after another, from corruption to electoral fraud. Her critics in the CBCP also accused her of corrupting many prelates with financial help to the dioceses.

The CBCP chief issued the statement as supertyphoon Pepeng threatened to bring another trail of destruction a week after Ondoy dumped record-level rains in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Citing the messages of Our Lady of Fatima, Lagdameo said there appears to be some “deep connection between moral evils (the reign of sin) and the calamities that descend on a people.”

He urged the public to pray the rosary, repent and do penance.

“We are impelled to pray that the Lord save our country from further calamities due to typhoons, floods, drought, volcanic eruption and other calamities occurring in increasing number and intensity,“ Lagdameo said. (abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak)